According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2,597 people were killed in United States traffic accidents in December 2010. Of those, 775 deaths involved alcohol-impaired drivers. A 2006 study by the NHTSA estimated that there is one drunk driving fatality in the United States every 30 minutes.

Georgia's Driving Under the Influence Laws are complex. Georgia DUI injury attorney Shane Smith can sort through the intermingled laws that potentially create complications in a DUI case.

Georgia officials have discussed lowering the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit on holiday weekends. This is in response to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommending that all states lower the legal BAC limit from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. Despite increased societal awareness of drunk driving dangers and stricter regulations aimed to prevent it, drunk drivers are responsible for more than 10,000 fatalities each year. The NTSB's recommendation is similar to a new regulation in the European Union that reportedly has reduced drunk driving fatalities by 50 percent.

Georgia officials have discussed a law that would lower the legal BAC for holiday weekends, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve. According to the NTSB, lowering the legal BAC limit would save 500 to 800 lives each year.

The measured change would have a typical 180-pound male reaching the legal limit after two or three drinks in an hour. Presently, the same person likely can consume up to four drinks in an hour without reaching the legal threshold for drunkenness. The same person who would presently be described as "buzzed" would be found to be legally intoxicated under the new regulations.

If you have questions about Georgia DUI laws, get the answers in Clayton County DUI injury attorney Shane Smith's book, I Was Hit By a Drunk Driver: What Do I Do Next? Contact the Law Offices of Shane Smith to schedule a free legal consultation.